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Boston Disability Fraudsters Charged

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THE SUMMER OF 2008 SAW AN INVESTIGATION launched into some dubious practices taking place in the Boston Fire Department retirement and medical offices after a firefighter applied for a full-disability pension for an injured back.  Within days of his pension application being submitted, Albert Arroyo appeared in a body-building competition looking the picture of health.  After refusing to submit to another medical evaluation, he was fired from the FD.

This video report from WCVB-TV Ch. 5 covers Arroyo’s travails:

The spotlight also shone on James Famolare who had been out on injury leave for two years claiming that he had permanently injured his back  from moving a box of personnel files in the office.  While on injury leave, FF’s salaries are tax-free giving Famolare a windfall of $300,000 salary with no deductions.  Both men were deemed permanently disabled and cleared for their retirements by the same neurologist, Dr. John Mahoney who has cleared dozens of FF’s seeking a disability retirement.

The investigation made headlines later that winter when the FBI showed up and sealed all the records in the FD medical office and began their own investigation into the entire retirement operation.

This Monday the U. S. Attorney’s office along with the FBI Boston field office announced via a press release that the two aforementioned retirees have been charged along with a civilian clerk who worked in the retirement office, with several counts of fraud and perjury.

The Boston Globe has the details of the charges along with a copy of the U. S. Attorney’s press release HERE.

See Firegeezer’s report on the original grand jury probe HERE that gives some outrageous examples such as the district chief who boosted his retirement payment by $26,000 a year from tripping in a puddle while filling in at a higher rand for a few hours.

Firegeezer adds:  When this story broke 15 months ago, the Mayor’s office made it sound like everybody who was getting disability pay were fiddling the system, whereas the union claimed that it was being overstated.  After the big investigation and the sweep by the FBI, all they have to show for it (so far) are these three arrests.  It will be interesting to see if any more indictments come out of this.

Posted by on October 21, 2009 • Filed under: crime, Firefighter Safety & Health, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Mystery Minute 01.01

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Firegeezer notes:  This posting begins a new feature that will be running on Firegeezer in serial format.  The title says it all.  You’ll figure it out as it progresses.  Our first Mystery Minute story was written and contributed by Steve Marshall, an officer with the Meadville, Pennsylvania Fire & Rescue.

THE LEGEND OF OLD RED
by Steve Marshall

Chapter 1

Many of us “Old Salts” have been known to develop deep affections for our fire trucks. It might have been the first truck we ever rode to a call, it might have been the first truck we got to drive, but whatever the reason, some of the attachments have been known to rival marriages in their depth. In fact I’ve known several Old Salts who prefer the company of their engines to that of their wives, but this is the story of one Firefighter who truly loved his machine. It’s said that the man and the truck are still together, somewhere in time, still answering the call for help.

In the early days of modern firefighting, there was a rural fire department in New Hampshire that had served their community for decades. Their one and only pumper was a 1956 open cab Seagrave that they had purchased brand new many years before. The truck was bright red with gold leaf lettering.

Old Red

The department had always had red fire trucks; after all, that is the proper color for real fire trucks and “The Beast,” as they nicknamed it, was no different.  Or so we thought.  Boy, were we wrong!

Chapter 2  appears here

Posted by on October 21, 2009 • Filed under: Mystery Minute

Flaming Pumpkin Update

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REMEMBER THE BRIEF APPEARANCE OF THE FLAMING PUMPKIN over the weekend?  Firegeezer posted the story Monday (HERE) about the Boston Globe’s misadventure of showing in their online edition how to make a burning jack-o-lantern that emitted a flame 3 ft. high for 45 minutes.

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Within hours, the State Fire Marshal’s office called the Globe and asked to speak to one of the grown-ups who promptly removed the page from their website.

WBZ-TV Boston noticed the about-face, though and offers this follow-up to the story:

That (story) is now gone from the online edition after the fire marshal expressed concern. “We were aware of the article and posting and very happy that common sense and wiser heads at the Globe prevailed,” Jennifer Mieth of the State Fire Marshal’s Office told WBZ.

The Globe said this story clearly stated the pumpkin should only be lit outdoors with an extinguisher handy. “The graphic of ‘Extreme Pumpkin’ ideas, adapted from a book of the same name, included for one flaming pumpkin head,” Globe spokesman Bob Powers told WBZ. “The Globe added a warning to only attempt it outdoors, away from flammable materials, and with a fire extinguisher at hand. Nonetheless, the state fire marshal expressed concern, and the Globe agreed to remove it from the Web.”

Firegeezer adds:  On second thought, it sounds like they still don’t get it, doesn’t it?

Posted by on October 21, 2009 • Filed under: current events, Fire Prevention & Education • Tagged: , ,

Historic Site Arsonist Convicted

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IN JULY AND AUGUST OF 2007, TWO MASSACHUSETTS men went on an arson spree in the Worcester area.  They burned down a vacant paper mill, a railroad bungalow, a farmer’s barn and most notably, the 18th-century home of Mary Sawyer, the woman whose pet lamb followed her to school one day and let to the famed American nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb.

The arsonists, John Drousseau and Michael Dreslinski were caught primarily from being tracked by a GPS transmitter that had been secretly placed on their truck through a court order relating to a separate criminal acitivity.  They were arraigned on the arson charges in February, 2008, and have been incarcerated since.

This past Monday, following an 11-day trial, Dreslinski was found guilty by a jury on four arson counts.  His partner Rousseau will be tried on the same charges next week.  The judge postponed sentencing until after Rousseau’s trial is completed.

The Republican has the STORY.
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette has a longer REPORT HERE.

Firegeezer’s earlier posting from February, 2008, includes a brief history and photo of Mary Sawyer’s cabin HERE.  We have also included a movie clip of Thomas Edison reciting the poem as he did when he made his first-ever phonograph recording.

Posted by on October 21, 2009 • Filed under: arson, Law & Justice, News • Tagged: , , , , , ,

DUI Brings Demotion in Albuquerque

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AN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, APPARATUS DRIVER in the Albuquerque Fire Department has been demoted and given a pay reduction after being charged by the police for drunk driving this past Saturday.  Nicholas Wilson, 34, was stopped by patrol officers who saw him swerving in his car.

Wilson also showed signs of impairment during a series of field sobriety tests.  He then admitted to police that he had a few drinks at a downtown bar, according to the criminal complaint.  He was charged and bonded out that same night.  On Monday Wilson, a 10-yr. employee, met with Deputy Fire Chief Craig Sadbury and was notified of the swift discipline of being demoted to Firefighter and relieved of any driving responsibilities.  Wilson is also a paramedic.

KOB-TV has this video report:

Dep. Chief Sadbury says that he has seen at least seven AFD firefighters charged with DWI over the past couple of years. He says firefighters like Wilson should by now realize the consequences of driving drunk.

“It is kind of scary and kind of disappointing and we would expect for him to know better. He’s seen the aftermath of DWI crashes and things before, and so he definitely knows better,” Sadberry said.

Posted by on October 21, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, labor, News, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos

Restaurant Torched by Competitor

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COMPETITION IN THE RESTAURANT TRADE CAN BE TOUGH.  In Kenner, Louisiana, a 74-yr.-old woman was arrested yesterday (Tuesday) and charged with arson after setting fire to a restaurant business on October 2.  The woman, Mae Fong operates the Fong’s Chinese & Cantonese Restaurant in Kenner and police say that surveillance video tapes show her setting fire to the Young’s Garden Chinese Restaurant which is located just over a block away from her establishment.

WDSU-TV Ch. 6 reported on the arrest:

Kenner Police Chief Steve Caraway told news reporters that the tapes show Fong approaching Young’s restaurant shortly after 3 am just before the fire was started with an accelerant.  The video was “extremely valuable” in solving the crime, he said. “It’s hard to refute that type of evidence.”

The fire caused $50,000 to $60,000 in damages.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune has MORE.

Posted by on October 21, 2009 • Filed under: arson, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – October 21

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Yesterday’s story on the head-on crash with an ambulance (Firegeezer HERE) and a pickup truck that killed a grandfather was a sad story in its own right.  But for me it raised some questions about what was going on with the patient care.  The man’s legs were crushed beneath the dashboard, trapping him in the truck.  He was conscious and seemingly alert with no other apparent injuries, yet he died a few hours later in the hospital.  I’ve got a couple of things to ask about this, so please help me out here.

First of all, this is a classic case for using the shock-trauma pants.  They were designed for just this sort of trauma care.  Naturally, the news reports didn’t mention anything about that, and I wouldn’t really expect them to.  But the outcome of the event is exactly what happens with these things.  The inflatable trousers are ideal for stabilizing extreme leg injuries as well as serving the function of returning the patient’s blood back to his heart and brain.  Like I said, a classic case to use them.

But as I’ve said before, I haven’t peeked inside an ambulance in quite a while and I’m wondering if anybody even carries them anymore?  Have they been “disallowed” and removed from ambulances?  Have they been shoved out of the units to make room for newer devices and expanded equipment inventories?  Perhaps the shock-trauma pants are just not carried on AMR units.  If that’s the case, what a shame.  Let me know if you’re allowed to use them anymore.

The other item that started me thinking is in the newspaper story that we linked to in the posting.  They are reporting that during the extrication, the patient (Hager) pulled out his cellphone and called his family to tell them what was going on, right in the middle of the evolution.  They tell:

Vickory (a relative) said Hager called his wife while he was pinned inside the truck to tell her what had happened.

Vickory and three other family members converged at the scene and watched the rescue operation.

As half a dozen Tampa Fire Rescue workers ripped the top of the truck off and finally broke Hager free, Vickory yelled “He’s out,” and they rushed to see him, following as he was taken to the ambulance.

Welcome to the Wireless Age.  This strikes me as so strange an event.  It got me to thinking of how I would have reacted if I was doing an extrication and the victim whipped out his cellphone and started calling people.  I think my own personal reaction would have been to gently discourage his actions and insist that he not do that.  My justification would be that his fiddling with the phone is a major distraction to the life-saving activities going on around him and the need to keep him in communication with US rather than someone far away.  Priorities, you know.

But having hindsight available to us now, I suspect that some people would claim that the family benefited from the call because they got to see and talk to Gramps, giving him some final moments of pleasure before he passed away.  Knowing what you know now, what do you think you’ll do if you are faced with something similar?

We had better get this equipment checked out now.  I’ve got to get  the coffee started and then in a little while we’ll get together in the day room talk over the best action to take if our patient wants to describe his last moments to the folks back home while we’re working on him.

Posted by on October 21, 2009 • Filed under: ambulances, Fire Rescue Topics, morning lineup • Tagged: , , ,

Rescue by Coincidence

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AN 18-YR.-OLD EDMONTON, ALBERTA, MAN IS ALIVE TODAY thanks to a fortunate decision by an Edmonton FD company to do some pre-planning.  The fire company was scouting along the North Saskatchewan River looking for a good site to set up a river-rescue drill when they heard a faint call for help.  Following the sound, they came across the man stuck waist-deep in mud along the riverbank.

The Canadian Press reported:

Rescue workers say the 18-year-old man was suffering from hypothermia and could barely speak.  The teen had been stuck in the mud overnight with the cold waters of the North Saskatchewan flowing around him.  He was taken to University of Alberta Hospital to be treated for exposure.

Rescue crews say it was lucky that the temperature was mild overnight and that likely played a big role in the man’s survival.  Firefighter Sean Desmarais says it was “an amazing coincidence” they were there because they are not usually out on the river at that time of the year.

“We could hear some kind of muted cries and at first we couldn’t figure out if it was some kind of animal or something, because it was on the opposite shore so we went over to investigate and we saw a guy,” said Desmarais.

They aren’t sure how he got stuck in the mud, but the FF’s say that the water level is unusually low for this time of year and it’s possible that he just walked too close to the river and sank down in the quicksand-like mud.

Posted by on October 20, 2009 • Filed under: rescue, Rescues

THEY are Listening to Ray

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Earlier this month I posted this item:

BILL CAREY, WRITING IN BACKSTEP FIREFIGHTER’S BLOG, WONDERS “Is anyone listening to Ray?” AND SPECULATES ON WHAT THE ANSWER MEANS.

… and I explained how Ray McCormack’s FDIC presentation affected the final edits in the Fire Officer textbook that came out last month. (blog entry  HERE).

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Stumbled across a 5:25 minute “Brotherhood” video made by k7son of the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department 28/48 that includes narrative taken from McCormack’s speech:

Click here for Video

From their website:

This Video is dedicated to the guys who continue to get the trucks on the street, day in and day out. Guys here use motivation, brotherhood, pride and ownership to help see them through the toughest of times, on and off the job. Also, to the men who built the West Lanham Hills reputation, we will continue to uphold it.

To all the firemen, who value the fire service tradition each and every day, and pass it down to upcoming generations. To our members who are no longer with us, and to all who have given the ultimate sacrifice by losing their lives in the line of duty….you will never be forgotten. Enjoy the movie.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on October 20, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Blogs, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Training & Development, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Ambulance Gets a Cow

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AN AMBULANCE IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY WAS TRANSPORTING A WOMAN to the hospital in Lebanon ended up with three patients, the woman and the two EMT’s.  The Associated Press is reporting:

Kentucky State Police said the ambulance struck a cow in the road early Tuesday on Ky. 433, one mile south of Willisburg.

The 71-year-old patient, Virginia Lewis of Mackville, was belted into place. She was admitted to Springview Hospital in Lebanon, but for her illness – not a crash injury.

Troopers said the ambulance driver was 45-year-old Donald Milburn of Springfield. The EMT in the back with the patient was 50-year-old William Hagan of Lawrenceburg.

Both men were released from the hospital after treatment.

Posted by on October 20, 2009 • Filed under: ambulances • Tagged: , , ,

Head-On Crash With Ambulance Kills One

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A 64-YR.-OLD TAMPA, FLORIDA, MAN DIED THIS MORNING after an ambulance crashed head-on into his pickup truck Monday night.  The man was carrying his two grandsons home from a Boy Scout meeting and had stopped for some milkshakes at a fastfood restaurant.  As they were continuing their journey home, an AMR emergency ambulance was approaching in the opposite direction.  When the ambulance came upon a traffic backup, the driver noticed it too late and, jamming on the brakes, he pulled into the oncoming lanes to avoid rear-ending the stopped cars.

Unfortunately, Jerry Hager’s truck was in the lane and the heavy collision smashed the dashboard into his legs, pinning him in the truck.  Tampa Fire Rescue responded and extricated him  with two crushed legs.  At the time, he was conscious and talking and when he was taken to the hospital he appeared to be in a non-life threatening condition.  But less than nine hours later he died in the hospital.  His two grandsons, ages 11 and 13 are being treated for broken bones.

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St. Petersburg Times

Tampa Fire Rescue said that the AMR ambulance was responding to a call at the time, but the police have not confirmed whether the ambulance was running lights and siren or not.  The ambulance driver has been cited for careless driving.

The St. Petersburg Times has the complete STORY.

tampa c TFR

Tampa Fire Rescue photo

Posted by on October 20, 2009 • Filed under: ambulances, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Memorable Blaze in Oklahoma

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A MASSIVE FIRE IN AN APARTMENT PROJECT UNDER construction in Edmond, Oklahoma last night has already been described as the city’s largest fire in memory.

edmond a KOCO

KWTV Ch.9

The four-story complex was still under construction when the fire broke out at 6 pm Monday night and spread throughout the entire project.  The Oklahoma City FD ran mutual aid assistance to the Edmond FD and they were kept busy as the fire burned through the night.  It is still being tended by fire units as several hot spots are still burning this morning.

There is no indication at all yet for the cause as the investigation is just getting started.

KOCO-TV has this mid-morning video report:

Posted by on October 20, 2009 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Violent Robbery in Fire Hall

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THE HEIDELBERG, PENNSYLVANIA, VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT (near Pittsburgh) rents out its hall regularly for a client that holds all-night poker tournaments in it.  Early this morning around 2:30 am, a group of armed robbers broke into the locked hall while the game was in progress and held up the players at gunpoint.

The robbers sought out a woman who handles the funds and hit her over the head with a club before taking the “bank.”  Police are considering that someone affiliated with the FD or the tournament operators could be involved because the hold-up men were familiar with the layout and security measures that the tenant used.

WTAE-TV Ch. 4 Pittsburgh has this early video report from the scene:

The police have announced that they have identified one of the robbers as a man who plays in the tournament regularly and they expect to make at least one arrest later today.  The VFD has issued no public comment other than to verify that the hall is rented out regularly for the poker tournaments.

Update, Tuesday 10 pm:
The police did not make any arrests yet.  According to their statements, somebody in the hall left the building through a side emergency exit that was secured with panic bars inside, but no access from the outside.  As the man passed through the door, he let two of the robbers enter.  They in turn let in a third accomplice.

A recent report from WTAE-TV descibes in more detail what went on during the robbery that has netted several thousands of dollars HERE.

Posted by on October 20, 2009 • Filed under: crime, News • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – October 20

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Most of you already know that I like to keep an eye on the technological changes and improvements in the electronic and digital world.  I don’t speak the lingo, so I don’t always understand the detailed descriptions of how the new gadgets work.  But I do enjoy reading about them and occasionally even getting one of the toys to play with.

So far, I haven’t been tempted by the iPhone-type machines, nor was I ever anxious to spend good money for a Blackberry hook-up without having a genuine use for it.  But I’m starting to waiver a little bit.  GeezerDotter got hooked on an iPhone a month or so ago and she is having so much genuine fun with it that she doesn’t call me anymore.  It was a painless step for her to take because her cell phone provider was AT&T already.  Personally, I abhor AT&T, so I was content to just watch from the outside.  Son of Geezer has something similar, I think it’s a Blackberry but I’m not sure, that has the slide-out full keyboard and a good internet connection.  I think his provider for it is T-Mobile.

The thing  that has really taken off with iPhone is the “App Store” where the users  can download add-ons that do all sorts of expanded things with the phone from games to job-assisting programs.  Currently there are more than 85,000 applications, or “apps,” available for downloading.  Some are free, some are a nominal charge of a buck or two.  But so far there have been over 2 billion downloads of apps.  I have seen where there is one for EMT’s that is a CPR metronome that helps you keep a steady and proper compression rhythm.

But on October 30 the phone-toy world will see the introduction of a new device that just might get me sucked into the world of digital dependence.  Informed speculation says that’s when Verizon and Motorola are likely to announce the release of their competitor to the iPhone system.  This new device is called the Droid, a derivative of Google’s Android phone platform that has been available on some lesser systems with only mild success.  But the new Droid has two things going for it.  One, it has been technologically advanced to a level that may be nearly equal to the iPhone in use and operation.  And the biggy is that it is being rolled out on the Verizon Wireless phone network.  Verizon is not only the most-widely available signal in the country, but they also have a far better customer satisfaction record than AT&T does, by a long shot.

The pre-introduction reviews have been very positive for the Droid, and it just so happens that my cellphone provider is Verizon.  I just might become a wireless wastrel and get in on the fun after all.  I’ll be watching closely.  Maybe some of you can help me come up with an excuse that will justify spending the extra monthly fees for the thing.  Put them in the Comments and help me get over this reluctance.

First, we’d better get this equipment checked out.  I need to get the coffee started, so I’ll see you back in the day room in a little while and we can check out this “teaser” video that Verizon has sent out:

Posted by on October 20, 2009 • Filed under: morning lineup, Technology & Communications • Tagged: , , , ,

Citizens Make Great Rescue

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SjRoth Photography

WHEN DWAYNE AND JENNY LONG WERE RIDING down Main St. in McSherrystown, Pennsylvania Sunday evening about 8:30, they spotted a fire in a downtown apartment building. 

The Hanover Evening Sun reports what they did next:

He and his wife swung their van around, realized the building was aflame, and rushed to get people out.

As his wife knocked on downstairs doors, Dwayne Long said he tried to rush up the front steps to the second floor, but the smoke was too thick.

Thanks to quick thinking, he and others were able to rescue a young girl on the upper floor.  

The girl, whose name was not known Sunday night, lowered herself from a window onto a satellite dish mounted on the side of the house, said Tom Weaver, information officer with Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services.

The girl climbed on top of the Longs’ van they had pulled up to the west side of the house.

You can read the complete STORY HERE.

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SjRoth Photograpy

Shortly after the rescue, the FD arrived on the scene with heavy fire showing.  Photographer Steve Roth was on the scene and tells us that about 13 people have been displaced from the fire.  As of this morning the cause had not yet been determined.

Steve has a photo gallery of 36 images taken at the fire posted on his Flickr page HERE.

Posted by on October 19, 2009 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues

Bothered By Burning Bunny Bodies

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(Say that five times real fast)

ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, are all up in arms, or rabbit legs, over the city’s practice of killing wild rabbits and then burning them for heating fuel.

Reuters is reporting:

City official Mats Freij said Stockholm killed 6,000 wild rabbits last year and has culled 3,000 so far this year, but said a subcontractor decided to use the cadavers as fuel.  “One should put this in the perspective that we (humans) are actually cremated ourselves and that generates a completely different reaction,” Freij said in response to criticism.

Animal Rights Sweden spokeswoman Lise-Lott Alsenius questioned whether the practice was humane or ethical and suggested neutering the male rabbits as an alternative method of holding down the population.

Konvex, the company handling the operation, said the rabbits were ground up with the cadavers of other beasts, mainly farm animals such as cows which have been deemed unfit for human consumption, reduced to flammable form and incinerated.

“Just as with us people … the bodies contain a lot of fat and fat has exactly the same energy content as normal heating oil for instance,” Konvex Chief Executive Leo Virta said.

So far, Freij is sticking to his guns and not leaping to any hasty decisions.

Posted by on October 19, 2009 • Filed under: current events, News • Tagged: , ,

Today’s Safe Driving Award …

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….. GOES TO A MAN IN CHELSEA, VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA), who was caught driving through a tunnel while using two cell phones.  He told police that it was ok because he had one finger on the wheel at all times.

The Herald-Sun REPORTS:

The one-fingered hoon was seen holding a mobile phone in each hand and driving his car with his knees while travelling through the Eastlink tunnel about 3.15pm Saturday.  The 30-year-old Fitzroy man was pulled over by Chelsea Traffic Management Unit acting sergeant Rob Atkinson who had noticed the car swerving.

The driver explained he needed to transfer information from one phone to another and that he had been driving with one finger.  Act Sergeant Atkinson said it was one of the worst cases of careless driving he had seen in 10 years of policing.

“I reinforced the danger of this type of driving, especially within the tunnel and issued the man with two penalty notices, one for careless driving and one for use hand held mobile phone while driving,’’ he said.

The tickets will cost him over $500 and six demerits.

Posted by on October 19, 2009 • Filed under: News, safety • Tagged: , ,

Fire Kills 3 in Condemned House

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FIRE IN A LEBANON, OHIO, HOUSE DESTROYED the building early this morning (Monday) and killed three people who were inside.  The house had been condemned and was slated for demolition, however the owner of the house, Jerry Crisp said that there were two “friends of mine” who were living in the decrepit dwelling.

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Enquirer photo by Dworecki

The three bodies were completely burned and the coroner says that he cannot yet tell if they were men or women.  The Cincinnati Enquirer adds:

When fire crews arrived on the scene, the fire was fully involved. Flames were shooting out of the back of the house.

Two bodies were found in the front room and a third body was found in another part of the three-family home built in 1900, said Fire Chief Hannigan.

“It is an old wood frame house and the fire had a substantial headway. When we got here they were probably already deceased,” Hannigan said. “There wasn’t anything we could have done to get them out and save them.”

The shingles on the roof had been blown off in a windstorm 13 months ago and there was a tarpaulin nailed down over the roof.  The Lebanon City Manager said that the house has a history of code violations including no plumbing and faulty electrical wiring.  Jerry Crisp, the owner, was formerly the Lebanon fire chief from 1975 until 1985, according to the fire department.

WKRC-TV Ch. 12 has this video report including some fire footage HERE.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has the STORY.

Posted by on October 19, 2009 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: , ,

Electric Ambulance Debuts

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THE ISLAND COMMUNITY OF TERSCHELLING IN the northern Netherlands is using itself as a testing place for methods of achieving a “CO2 neutral” environment.  So it was only natural for the tiny island of 4,700 residents to choose an all-electric car for ambulance duty.

Norwegian EV maker Think has adapted its Think City electric car into an ambulance configuration, but notably without transportation capability.  The UMCG Ambulance Service that provides EMS care for the island will be using the Think City as a first responder and only if transportation is required will they then send the regular ambulance.  Since there are only 12 miles of paved roadway on the island, range and response times are not a problem for the electric car.

think-ambulance

Think issued this press release:

The concept of electrical ambulances is not new. In fact, in the early 20th century ambulances were powered by electricity. Nowadays however, an electrical ambulance is a rare sight. The Dutch company, UMCG Ambulance Service is keen to demonstrate its environmentally responsible ethos, so has decided to complement its fleet of ambulances with an all electric Think City.

With a range of 180 km, the Think City is well suited for the distances covered on the island of Terschelling. Fully equipped with life saving medical equipment, the ambulance gives good support to the other ambulances and is very well suited for giving first aid.

Terschelling is located in the northern Netherlands and is one of the West Frisian Islands. A large part of the island has become a nature reserve and the municipal of Terschelling is working hard to reduce emissions to become a CO2 neutral island. The Think City electrical ambulance is making a vital contribution to achieving this goal.

AllCarsElectric.com has more HERE.
Think auto makers WEBSITE.

Posted by on October 19, 2009 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , , , ,

Fire Prevention? What’s That?

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THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) IS BASED IN QUINCY, Massachusetts, just down the road from Boston.  But unfortunately the NFPA’s messages on fire safety and fire prevention aren’t making it into the offices of the Boston Globe newspaper.  Just a scant few days after the conclusion of Fire Prevention Week, the Globe ran some Hallowe’en tips for the kiddies showing them how to make a pumpkin display that has a 3-ft.-high flame burning out of it.

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Their advice on how to make a “Flaming Head” brags that “toilet paper rolls soaked in kerosene will create 3-ft.-high flames for about 45 minutes.”  They also remind you to “only do this outside, away from flammable materials.”  Seemingly, the clueless writers at the Globe don’t realize that the Flaming Head IS a flammable material.  But they are helpful in that they suggest that you “ignite it through the mouth (of the jack-o-lantern) or your hand will roast.”

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It looks like the kids on weekend duty at the Globe were skimming the internet for some Hallowe’en ideas and came across this future ambulance call on a website called Extreme Pumpkins.com.  It has detailed instructions (HERE) on how to make one, including the tip that you should soak the TP in kerosene overnight for the best results.  It also reminds us:

If you want the best flame I have seen yet, this is it. Be warned that the smoke can be a little dark and stinky at first. Otherwise, it was awesome. Remember to be safe and all that.

Yes, there will always be a need for the fire department and the EMS squads.

We are unable to give you the link to the Boston Globe story because shortly after it was posted online, the State Fire Marshal called them and spoke to one of the grown-ups.  The Globe pulled the page immediately, but we saved a screen cap of the page before they did it.

Thanks to Firefighter Dave and Da Gonz for sending us this head-shaker.

Posted by on October 19, 2009 • Filed under: education, Fire Prevention & Education • Tagged: , , , , ,

Around the Fire Web

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There were several good stories that piled up over the weekend and are worth visiting this morning:

*  “Faster than a speeding newsroom!”  STATter911 covered a 3-alarm apartment fire leading with a video of the blaze that was posted less than an hour after the fire started.  The fire was in Prince George’s County and the FF’s made several good ladder rescues at the incident.  Start by going HERE to read about it and see the video.  While you’re there, his Quick Takes this morning is loaded with gems like the update on the infamous Gregson Street Guillotine in Durham.  Catch those stories HERE.

*  Speaking of Durham, FireNews.net caught a church fire there along with some other action HERE.

*  The Fire Critic is starting a list of “Top Qualities of a Great Fire Officer.”  Some things are so obvious that you never see them.  Check out his list and then toss in your own suggestions for it HERE.

*  Life Under the Lights is a great EMS blog and he posted a story on how the “save” rate can be increased to nearly 50% and has been shown to be successful HERE.

Posted by on October 19, 2009 • Filed under: morning lineup, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Morning Lineup – October 19

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The early shake-down of the new blog adventure, FireEMS Blogs, has passed pretty smoothly.  This wasn’t something that just came out of a box and was plugged into the internet.  It took many months of programming, designing and “imagineering” to get it up and running.  I’m very impressed with Go>Forward Media’s accomplishment.  As far as my little corner of the blogisphere goes, it went well.  I think there were one or two sudden-panic moments when it first turned on, but they were quickly straightened out.

And the new Comments program appears to have been easily adapted by our readers.  It’s functioning just fine, but at my end I’m still discovering some new features of it.  As an example, I made an entry on Twitter yesterday referencing one of the postings and it also showed up in the Comments of that story.  It’s my understanding that this will also be applied soon to Facebook entries.  If somebody posts a link to one of my stories on their Facebook wall, then you can comment on it directly from there.  I’m not sure how that works, but we’ll learn by doing, I suppose.  As I said the other day, this is the beginning of a new era in digital communications.

Speaking of Comments, one of our readers sent us an email yesterday saying that he wasn’t getting any “confirmation” back after “registering” as a Commenter.  In fact, this is something that has been confusing since we first started publishing back in April, 2007.  There is a  box somewhere that can lead you to believe that you have to register before you can leave a comment.  But this feature has always been turned off on our site.  I don’t know why the publishing program (WordPress) displays this when it’s been disabled, but it does and sometimes leads to people filling out the little box and sending it in.  So I will remind everybody, you don’t need to “register” before you leave a comment.  Just ignore that thing.

The value of Comments was quite evident last night and this morning.  Following our posting about the Grand Island FD putting bone drills on their ambulances (HERE) we have received many comments from medics who are already using this device in the field and they are very pleased with the way it operates.  Now Firegeezer hasn’t seen the inside of an ambulance since the crew of the Bounty mutineed, so this was the first I had heard of this handy tool.  But within a few hours, we’re getting lots of valuable feed back on the device.  That’s the internet on cruise control ….. doing what it’s meant to do.

And thanks again to everybody who took the time and effort to email us complimenting us on the new design.  It’s truly appreciated.

I am sorely in need of some coffee, so I’m going to go get a pot started while you take care of the equipment check.  It’s Monday, so the list is a little longer.   We’ll meet back in the day room in a little while.

Posted by on October 19, 2009 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , , ,

Rubber Ball Practice

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IS IT A LITTLE SLOW AROUND THE STATION TODAY?  Well, why not pull 3 pieces of shoring timbers out of the cave-in trailer and practice some of this?  It looks easy enough …..

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Posted by on October 18, 2009 • Filed under: fun • Tagged: , ,

Helmet Cam Upgrades

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THE WORLD OF ELECTRONICS AND MINIATURIZATION is constantly improving and hard to keep up with.  But Rob Schield, owner and developer of Fire Cam Products is managing to keep up with the latest advances in his Fire Helmet Cameras (video).

He tells us that they have just brought to market two new, advanced models.  One is an HD helmet video camera and the other is a gem of miniaturization, the FC Micro Cam.  This tiny tot is barely larger than a AA-size battery with a 4Gb flash drive.

micro cam

These two models are so new that they aren’t in their online catalogue yet,  but go ahead and CLICK HERE to read it anyway to learn about their products.  I’m sure an email to the Contact Us address will bring you info. on the availability of the Micro Cam.  Tell ‘em Firegeezer sent you.

Posted by on October 18, 2009 • Filed under: shopping, Technology & Communications, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Steamboat Collision Injures 4

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A PASSENGER STEAMBOAT IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, COLLIDED with a docked barge Saturday afternoon, injuring four people and leading to two of them being transported.  The Belle of Louisville was returning to its home mooring following a day-excursion amidst very windy weather conditions when a strong gust knocked it into the barge.

belle a courierjournal

Courier-Journal

The sudden collsion knocked some people down and damaged the ship’s paddle wheel, disabling the craft.  The wreck also knocked out the Belle’s electric power.  Two river tugboats hooked up to the old gal and escorted it back to its dock.

belle b courierjournal pam spaulding

Courier-Journal / Pam Spaulding photo

The steamship company’s CEO said that the hull was not damaged, nor did it take on any water.  The ship was carrying about 280 passengers and 20 crew members.

The Louisville Courier-Journal has the complete STORY HERE and has filed this video report:

The Courier-Journal also has a 38-image photo gallery HERE.

Posted by on October 18, 2009 • Filed under: ambulances, current events, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , ,